LetYourSpiritGrow.com Blog

Appreciation is all about showing gratitude, and it can be a powerful force for good in your life, and in the lives of those around you. Showing appreciation and giving credit and praise where it's due, has the power to make people feel good about themselves. This can then help to transform your relationship with them. After all, who doesn't want to be shown that they are valued? Read on to find out more about the power of appreciation.Appreciation makes us feel goodBeing appreciative of another person's efforts is something that can feel good to the person that is doing the appreciating. It means we are looking for positive things to comment on, which in turn changes our unconscious bias to a more positive vein.It’s also much more fun to have a positive conversation. Especially if it's instead of being dragged down by gossip, moaning, and criticism that can so easily become an issue in everyday life.Appreciation make the other person feel goodOf course, appreciation makes the person that is being appreciated feel good too. Everyone wants their achievement and efforts to be meaningful. Having someone else notice them, and acknowledge this makes people feel like what they are doing is worthwhile.Appreciation motivates peopleHelping people to feel worthwhile is it something that shouldn’t be underestimated. In fact, it is something that is hugely valuable in term of motivating them. Have you ever hear the phrase: ‘use more carrot than stick’ in term of motivation? Well, it primarily relates to the fact that folks like positive rewards as an incentive to completing tasks. Not criticisms or punitive punishments.But what people don’t realize is that appreciation and praise is a powerful positive reward for many people. Although It does have to be delivered right. For example, many people will react badly to behaviour that they see as patronizing or manipulating. So appreciation must be kept age appropriate and genuine.How to show appreciationFinding ways to show your appreciation can stump some people. Of course, there is verbal reinforcement. That is saying thank you, pointing out a job well done, or praisining someone's contribution in front of others.

https://pixabay.com/en/thank-you-note-thank-thank-you-note-1428147/

Others ways of showing appreciation around the home or workplace can be to leave little thanks you post it notes or sending email or texts. Showing that you have seen what has been done and appreciate it.Or, you can even go so far as to put a more formal system in place, this works best in a structured environment like work, schools, and clubs. Remember too that it is most effective in term of appreciation if you are rewarding hard work and effort, not only achievement. To do this, you can set up a rewards chart system, or bonus point systems and even give out glass trophies and awards, as well as material rewards at the end of a set time.How to find things to appreciateIf you aren't used to finding things to appreciate it can be tough at first to come up with genuine things to be pleased with. But it will get easier with time. In the meantime, you can try meditating to clear your mind and see what comes up. Or keep a notebook of things you notice throughout the day, no matter how small, of things that impress you.

Did you know that your drinking habits have a huge impact on your health? It’s true, by learning about what you should and shouldn’t drink, you can become a much healthier version of yourself. Take a look at the advice below to find out more:

https://pixabay.com/en/smoothie-fruit-beverage-drink-1444371/

Drink A Smoothie With Your Breakfast

A lot of people think that smoothies are meal replacements. As such, they’ll go on a cleanse where they only consume smoothies throughout the day. Simply put, this will leave you tired and lacking energy. Smoothies are great as they can easily get you your five a day all in one sitting. However, you must drink them alongside a meal, as they don’t provide full nutritional benefits. What they do provide is plenty of vitamins and loads of essential nutrients. Sipping on one a day will easily help your body become more healthy.

https://pixabay.com/en/glass-water-ice-cubes-drink-cold-1206584/

Drink As Much Water As Possible

Water is the best thing you can drink to be healthy. Our bodies are so dependent on water to function properly. You’ll be amazed at how many of you are probably mildly dehydrated every day. Ever felt tired and lethargic? It’s probably because you haven’t drunk enough water! You should always carry around a water bottle and sip on it throughout the day - ideally, you’ll be refilling it a few times too. The most important time to drink water is in the morning when you wake up. Try and drink a whole bottle before you have your morning coffee, as it will help rehydrate you after a few hours of no fluids when you’re asleep.

One of the main things you should stop drinking is alcohol, for many reasons. A whole article could be written on the various physical and mental health problems associated with excessive alcohol intake. No matter which way you look at it, there’s nothing to gain from drinking alcohol. It has zero health benefits, and will only help you become more and more unhealthy. A lot of people want to know how to quit drinking as they think it’s a tough task. Quitting is much easier than you think, the best advice is to ensure you quit gradually. It’s the same with anything, cut it out completely all in one go, and you’ll struggle. But, phase it out of your life bit by bit, and it’ll be a lot easier.

https://pixabay.com/en/soft-drink-coca-cola-sprite-soda-986803/

Cut Down On Sugary Drinks

Arguably the biggest bad drinking habit has to be an excessive intake of sugary drinks. I’m sure most of you reading this will sip on something sugary at least once or twice a day. This doesn’t just mean fizzy drinks like Pepsi or Fanta, it also means certain shop-bought fruit juices that are packed full of added sugar. Sugar does a lot of bad things to our body, particularly our teeth. It leads to tooth decay, and can also be linked to diabetes. So, cut down on how many sugary drinks you have during the day, and you’ll start to be a lot healthier.

Get your drinking habits on the right track, and you’ll be on your way to a much healthier tomorrow!

Poor mental health can completely and totally destroy your life. It can make it difficult to even get up in the morning, let alone enjoy all the wonderful things that life has to offer, and although many mental health conditions are not curable, there are lots of little things you can do to sow the seeds of good mental health and improve your quality of life significantly. Here are some simple seeds to good mental health, that if sown will have a positive impact on your life:Give Gratitude

http://tinyurl.com/zuvuwxa

Expressing your gratitude to the good things in your life, even when they don’t feel so good, will slowly but surely make you feel better about life. You don’t have to make a big show of being grateful either – just write down five good things a day. This could be something as simple as seeing a nice sunrise or eating a good meal – it doesn’t have to be earth shattering.Look After Your Body

http://tinyurl.com/jmbef6x

Mind and body are intricately connected, which is why, if you want to have good mental health, you need to practice good physical health. There is no denying it can be tough to cook healthy food and take exercise when you’re in the depths of depression, but if you can, it is worth doing because it will help your body to produce feel-good chemicals that will give your mental well-being a boost.Treat Yourself with KindnessDon’t succumb to negative self-talk – you are a wonderful person who is deserving of all the love and happiness the world has to offer, so act like it! Replace negativity with more positive feelings, and give yourself little treats to boost your self-esteem.Try Therapy

If you find it difficult to get yourself out of the black hole of mental illness, there is no shame in seeking outside help. Sometimes, a therapist can help you get to the root of the problem so that you can work on digging yourself out of the hole you find yourself in. So, getting in touch with Symmetry Counseling could be the boost you need to get back on track.Meditation

http://tinyurl.com/jywtlyg

Meditation isn’t just for Buddhists and hippies; it can help anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by life to get a little headspace and start to feel better about things. It’s not a miracle cure, and you will need to commit to regular meditation sessions to see a difference, but taking time out to clear your mind can work wonders for your mental well-being and put you in touch with your spiritual side if that is something you are interested in.Set Simple Goals

http://tinyurl.com/h5p5y6s

Often, when you’re mentally unwell, you let things stagnate and all but check out of life. This usually only makes things worse. By setting simple, achievable goals, you can start to build up self-worth, get a sense of achievement and dip your toes into engaging with life once more.When you’re ill, it’s important not to take too much on at once, so don’t try to do all of these things right now. Pick one or two that resonate and start from there to get the most benefit.

Due to the rising cost of health care for seniors and people living with disabilities, there are a lot of people who act as caregivers to family members. Studies have shown that around 80 percent of care given to seniors and people living with disabilities comes from relatives, not from healthcare professionals. Being a caregiver puts a strain on even the strongest and most resilient people. Caring for a loved one might be incredibly rewarding, but it’s also extremely stressful, especially when most of the responsibility falls on one person. A lot of caregivers feel overwhelmed and constantly worried, and yet, they fail to do anything about it.

https://pixabay.com/p-578917/?no_redirect

If you’re caring for a loved one, be it a parent, a partner, or even a child, you need to make sure that you’re looking after yourself. It’s easy to neglect your own health when you’re focusing on the health of your loved one, but it’s important that you make self care a part of your life, else you won’t be able to cope in the long term. Want to know why self care is so important when you’re a caregiver, and also, how you can stay healthy? Then keep reading for everything that you need to know. Take time out It’s far too easy to focus all of your time on the person who you’re caring for, but if you want to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, you need to take time out for yourself. Once a week, aim to take a set amount of time out, this could be an hour, or it could be four hours, it doesn’t matter how long you take out, just as long as you’re getting a break. Believe it or not, after spending some time doing something for yourself, such as meeting the girls for coffee or going to an exercise class, you will feel happier and more relaxed. So it's worth making time for yourself, as it will leave you better able to cope with the day to day life of being a carer. Get help You may not like the idea of asking for help, but it’s important to put yourself first and get some help. Believe it or not, you can't do everything yourself. One option is to ask other family members to lend a hand and take some of the pressure off of you. Another option is to look into getting professional help from a specialist company that offers home health care. Obviously, this will come with a cost, but if it will help to make life easier for you, it’s worth it. Learn to manage stress effectivelyIt’s no secret that being a caregiver is stressful, especially when the person you are caring for requires constant care. If you’re going to stay healthy while you’re taking care of them, it’s important to ensure that you know how to manage stress effectively. Taking part in meditation-based exercise, such as yoga, is one option for managing stress. Another is to join a local support group, where you can talk with other carers going through the same things as you are. You see, sometimes one of the best ways to relieve stress is to talk about what’s worrying you. When you spend most of your time taking care of someone else, self care becomes even more important. You need to make time to look after yourself so that you are able to keep yourself both physically and mentally healthy.

Divorce is a painful thing. There’s no way of sugarcoating it, because all of those among us who have experienced it know that this is true. That doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do; it just means that, even if it is what both of you needed, it’s still hard to let go of something you spent so many years building. Overcoming that heartache, even if you played a big part in the decision to end the marriage, is no easy feat to accomplish.

Of course, there are ways you can move through divorce, but it depends on your own mind. In order to find happiness and put that spring back into your step, so you can start enjoying life again with friends both old and new, you need to fix the things that are stopping your mind from recovering.

Sort out the legal proceedings.This is the big one. The reason so many couples find it hard to move on after a divorce is because they’re not really trying to move on. That’s perfectly understandable, and the vast majority of us are guilty of this, but it isn’t healthy for you. To move on, the first step is acceptance. I know that’s a typical line, and one you’ve probably heard countless times, but it’s true.

Don’t delay sorting things out with divorce solicitors, because things won’t get easier with time until you start putting your marriage in the past. You need to accept that it’s over, and finalising the documents is just one step on the path towards doing so.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/nature-fashion-person-woman-1002/

Reflect, but don’t project.Arguing is unavoidable, unless you had a rather amicable separation, which can happen for lucky couples who simply discover, and mutually agree, that they’re better off as friends. Still, for the majority of marriages which end in divorce, there’s usually a lot of sadness and anger bubbling not so far beneath the surface. It’s easy to give in and argue incessantly with your partner, but drawing out the pain is only going to further hurt both of you in the long run.

Instead, focus on yourself. Focus on your own pain, rather than taking it out on your partner. Meditation is a great way to do this. Reflecting on your own body and mind is something you should practice every day anyway, as we all need to allow a little time to appreciate the simplicity of life now and then, but during a high-stress period such as a rough divorce, there’s no better time to reflect. If you have sadness that you need to work through, then you need to reflect on it, rather than projecting it.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/nature-sky-sunset-man-6550/

Things can only get better.When things are at their worse, the only way they can go is up. Of course, I’m not trying to be blindly optimistic. Life will always throw curveballs at you, whether that involves problems at work or with friends and family. Still, every bad thing passes. Remember that, and use your suffering to grow as a person and learn things about yourself. Use your pain to strengthen your emotional resilience, and keep pushing on to fight another day.

The modern world can be a loud and disorientating place. Our reliance on technology has made noise and distraction a part of everyday life, whether it’s in the form of cars rushing by our window or smartphones buzzing away in our pockets.With our senses under constant assault, meditation can provide some much-needed respite. However, meditating is not only aboutrelaxation, it has been shown to have a wide range of benefits for your mind, body and soul. MindMeditation can be of great mental assistance whether you are going through some form of trauma or simply looking for greater focus. It has been shown to lower anxiety, boost creativity and improve your emotional stability.Aside from the psychological benefits of meditation, the practice has also been shown to actually change the brain neurologically. Studies indicate that meditating regularly can reduce activity in certain areas of the brain and help protect against the brain volume loss that accompanies the aging process.Meditation can also be used as part of aholistic addiction treatment, alongside yoga, energy work and other practices. In this case, the treatment aims to improve a person’s entire being rather than focusing on a single symptom or damaging form of behaviour. Meditation has been implemented in a number of addiction centres all over the world and has been used to target the emotional, physical and spiritual causes of the addiction.

https://pixabay.com/en/meditation-yoga-woman-girl-sand-609235/

BodyDid you know that you can actually improve the wellbeing of your body simply by meditating? Research shows that meditating regularly can lower your blood pressure, decrease your metabolism and help to improve your heart rate.Pregnant women have also found that meditating comes with physical advantages, some of which are passed on to their unborn child. By reducing anxiety, meditation can improve the baby’s birth weight and lower the chances of complications occurring. Studies also suggest that the likelihood of requiring a caesarean section or an epidural anaesthesia is lower among mothers who meditate regularly.Of course, you cannot acquire the physical benefits of meditation overnight. Like any other skill, mediation requiresregular practise. Putting aside a few minutes each day to meditate will pay off in the long run by boosting your mental and physical health.SoulAlthough meditation is not attached to any particular religion, it can have a spiritual element. Regardless of your particular faith, meditation can help achieve a state of being where you feel connected with something greater than yourself.By focusing your mind through meditation, you can begin to really think about your own identity and appreciate what it means to exist. Many people have used meditation to achieve a kind of personal transformation that goes beyond the mental and physical.Meditation is not supposed to be a replacement for medical science. Conversely, scientific research has shown that meditation can bring a variety of health benefits to all aspects of your being. Whether you are searching for mental, physical or spiritual development, meditation could provide you with the answers that you’re looking for.